


the Birth of Venus

by lostariels



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, One Shot, So here we are, art heist, i saw a tumblr post and i had to fic it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2018-12-30 22:09:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12118245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostariels/pseuds/lostariels
Summary: When Supergirl finds herself in Italy after an earthquake, Kara decides to take a detour to Florence to see the famous painting the 'Birth of Venus', before returning to National City. At the Uffizi Gallery, she catches the eye of another visitor at the gallery, a fellow art lover who's at the gallery for more than just looking.The next morning the Birth of Venus is reported to have been stolen, and no one knows who took it, until over a year later when Kara finds out why her girlfriend just so happened to be at the gallery that day.





	1. The Birth of Venus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GayLittleLuthor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayLittleLuthor/gifts).



> this is based off a tumblr post by violentfutches

            Kara stood behind the railing, staring at the wide painting set upon the white wall, the painting she had dreamed of seeing since the first time she'd seen a picture of it after coming to this planet. Her hands gripped the handrail, her feet firmly planted on the brown tiled floor as she leant over the railing, squinting as she took in the details of the painting. There were other paintings lining the walls, but the one before Kara captured her attention.

 

            The Birth of Venus.

 

            She had seen pictures of the painting before, but they paled in comparison to actually standing before in the Uffizi Gallery. Kara had never been to Italy before, and at an earthquake that rattled the island of Ischia, she had shot off in her costume to help lift heavy rubble and use her superhuman senses to find survivors amongst the ruins. She had spent hours helping the Italian emergency services rescue dozens of people, and soaking wet and covered in dirt, Kara had decided to take a small vacation for a few days. Florence had been a quick flight away, and Kara had landed on the outskirts of the city, stealing ill-fitting clothes and stowing her costume in a gap behind a dumpster at the back of a twenty-four-hour internet café. Her first priority had been stealing a pair of cheap sunglasses and flip flops from the closest shop filled with souvenirs advertising Florence and all of its tourist attractions.

 

            It was only midday when she’d wandered into the Uffizi Gallery, and she hate stayed all afternoon. Soon the sun would be setting, and she would have to leave and go back to her normal life. Sighing, Kara gazed longingly at the painting held behind the spotless glass, oblivious to the dark haired woman who sidled up next to her.

 

            “Exquisite isn’t it?” she asked, and Kara jumped slightly, turning to look at the woman with surprise. Kara had to do a double-take as she took in the piercing green eyes set in a startling beautiful face. Her dark hair spilled around her shoulders, and the corner of her red lips were pulled up into a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

 

            “Not at all,” Kara said, giving her a warm smile as she adjusted her sunglasses in a nervous habit. “I’ve been here for a while.”

 

            “I noticed,” the woman said, with a quiet laugh, “people would normally take their sunglasses off inside, especially when looking at one of the most famous paintings in the world. It made you stand out.” Kara blushed slightly, ducking her head as she laughed.

 

            “I left my glasses at the hotel and, well, who would want to miss this, right? So … prescription sunglasses,” she replied, smiling as she gestured to the painting. The woman turned her gaze to it, her grey suit jacket pulled taut over her shoulders as she leant on the railing. “It’s my favourite,” Kara hesitantly added after a second.

 

            The woman looked back at her, arching one eyebrow at her as she smiled. She was wearing a red silk shirt beneath her suit, and Kara couldn’t help but notice how good the colour looked on her. “An art lover, huh?”

 

            “Yes,” Kara smiled brightly, “I came here just for this painting. I mean, the others are fantastic too, but …”

 

            “But you didn’t spend three hours staring at them,” the woman finished for her, and Kara let out an embarrassed laugh, slightly caught off guard by the fact that the woman had noticed. “Sorry, that sounded a lot less … creepy in my head.”

 

            “My name’s Kara,” she said, holding a hand out as she smiled shyly at the girl, who reached out and shook it.

 

            “Lena,” she replied.

 

            Falling into comfortable silence, they turned their attention back to the painting. Kara was aware of how close Lena was standing to her, barely a foot between them, and Kara could hear her heart beating loudly. Clearing her throat slightly, Kara leant closer to her to quietly murmur to Lena. “Um, the painting is supposedly based on a poem by a Greek refugee, Chalkokondyles.”

 

            “You know your history,” Lena said with approval, turning to flash Kara a dimpled smile. “There’s some debate about what Venus is supposed to represent. Some believe she is supposed to represent intellectual and spiritual beauty … there are others who would say that she is supposed to arouse humans to physical love.”

 

            Kara fought back a blush at Lena’s words, stammering slightly as she replied. “And which one do you think she represents?”

 

            “Well one would naturally assume it represents physical love,” Lena said, shrugging slightly as she gave Kara a slow smile, looking like she was enjoying herself far too much.

 

            “Naturally,” Kara agreed. Lena tilted her head to the side as she stared at Kara. She wore small heels, making them the same height, and Kara scrambled to collect her thoughts as she looked into Lena’s eyes, noticing that one eye was the tiniest bit greener than the other.

 

            “But I would not be so quick to dismiss the importance of intellectual and spiritual beauty,” Lena continued. “Eyes can be deceiving.”

 

            Kara watched as Lena bit her lip slightly, and Kara felt a nervous smile spread across her face as she shrugged slightly. “Not always.”

 

            “No, not always,” Lena quietly agreed. “So, what brings you to Florence alone?”

 

            Letting out a quick laugh, Kara raised her eyebrows with a wry smile on her face. “And how do you know I’m here alone?”

 

            Smiling, Lena turned her attention back to the painting, staring up at the figure of Zephyr. She glanced back at Kara, an intensity to her gaze that took Kara off guard. “Well, first of all, if you weren’t alone, they would be here with you. Like you said, no one would skip the chance to see this painting up close and personal. Although, personally I prefer the Primavera.”

 

            “And second of all?” Kara asked, waiting expectantly for Lena to continue.

 

            One corner of her mouth pulled up into a half-smile, and she leant towards Kara in a conspiratorial way, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Wishful thinking.”

 

            Kara let out a loud laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth as she glanced around the cavernous room. She held up a hand in an apologetic gesture as a nearby couple shot her a dirty look for the loud disruption, mouthing an apology before she turned her attention back to Lena, who had her lips pressed tightly together as she tried to hide her smile.

 

            “Wishful thinking?” Kara echoed, her forehead furrowing as she looked at Lena with raised eyebrows. She was surprised, and a small part of her felt a flicker of hope that Lena wasn’t about to rush off, because she was actually enjoying having someone to look at the painting with. Someone who had a genuine interest in the history of it, and an appreciation of fine arts.

 

            “Oh, well, you know … when in Rome,” Lena said with a shrug, “or in this case, Florence. I never really have much time to myself, especially not to just appreciate art for the sake of it, and I never have the chance to appreciate it with other art lovers. I would hate to waste the opportunity.”

 

            Smiling shyly, Kara fiddled with her hands. “Well I’m sorry to say that I’m leaving to go back to the States tonight.”

 

            “As fate would have it, this is my last night here too,” Lena said, giving Kara a wide smile, “but until then, I was going to do some sightseeing. I’ve never been to Florence before. There’s so many cliché touristy things to do, and I’ve been too busy with business to do them. Any suggestions?”

 

            “I’m only stopping through for the day,” Kara shrugged, “I came straight here, so I’m not very helpful. Sorry.”

 

             “A _day_ here?” Lena exclaimed, wincing as she glanced around at the other patrons. “Nobody comes here for a day. There’s so much to do. So many streets to walk through, and sights to see.”

 

            Kara’s eyes crinkled behind her sunglasses. “I thought you just said you hadn’t had the time to do all of that.”

 

            “Well, part of my business is related to plotting safe routes through cities,” Lena explained, a secret smile playing on her lips as she looked at Kara. “I know my way around the city quite well, but not so much about what’s _inside_ the buildings.”

 

            “Safe routes? What kind of business do you work for?”

 

            “Oh, well, I’m an art curator,” Lena said, a smile playing on her lips as she held Kara’s gaze. “Some of them are worth quite a lot, so I take it upon myself to ensure that we take the safest and most direct route when transporting pieces. You’d be amazed at how easy it is to steal a painting.”

 

            “I’d like to see someone try and steal this,” Kara snorted, yanking her thumb in the direction of the Birth of Venus painting. It was a large painting, spanning nine feet across, and it was taller than Kara was too, and even with her super strength she didn’t think she’d be able to get her arms around it and make off with it.

 

            Lena let out another laugh, and Kara couldn’t help but think about how much she enjoyed the sound of it. She didn’t look like the kind of person who would laugh easily, wit her the hard look in her eyes and the sharp angles of her face, yet her lips were quick to quirk up into a smile when she spoke to Kara. It made her stomach flutter slightly and her palms clammy as she tried to pretend like she wasn’t nervous being in her presence. There was something about her perfect red lipstick, and the neat, professional look that made Kara want to run through the city with her and make her untidy.

 

            “So, where are we going first?” Kara asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

 

            “Well, how do you like gelato?” Lena asked.

 

            Smiling, Kara glanced at the painting once more before she turned around and followed Lena out of the gallery.

 

\---

 

            Kara grumbled as she rolled out of bed the next morning, running a hand through her messy hair and dragging herself to the kitchen. Putting a pot of coffee on to brew, she sat on one of the bar stools, yawning widely as she pulled her laptop over to her and powered it up. From the harsh light streaming in through the wide windows, Kara gathered that it was late in the morning, and she’d slept longer than she’d intended to. The horizon had been starting to darken when she’d touched back down in National City, after a night of exploring Florence with Lena.

 

            Kara could hardly bear to tear herself away from her, and it had been like something out of a dream to run around the city with a girl she’d just met, eating gelato as they walked across the Ponte Vecchio, and trying pasta at a tiny restaurant that they had almost walked right past. They had stopped by the Piazza della Repubblica, drinking the best coffee Kara had ever tasted at the Caffè Giubbe Rosse, sitting at one of the outdoor tables as they talked about the famous literary geniuses that had sat at the very same building. The warm Tuscan air had added to the atmosphere of wonder as they explored the city, sometimes carelessly letting their hands bump against each others as they talked of anything that came to mind. Kara’s heart had leapt at the news that Lena lived in National City too, and she smiled as they passed by a flower cart and Lena stopped to marvel at some of the finer cuts as she burst into a flurry or Italian that left Kara slightly startled. She was amazing, and perfect, and Kara felt like a stuttering idiot as she tried to find the words to keep the conversation going; she didn’t want the night to end.

 

            Eventually Lena had to go though, because she had a flight early in the morning and the hour was growing late. Time had flown by so quickly that Kara had barely noticed, and she was startled to see that the city had grown quieter as they walked along the bank of the Arno River. She hadn’t even had the time to muster up the courage to ask for Lena’s number, before a pristine white business card was being pressed into her hand, and Lena kissed her on both cheeks, the Italian way, leaving behind red lipstick marks, before she walked over to the side of the road and flagged down a cab. Kara had stood there in a daze for a few minutes, watching the car re-join the slow moving traffic as she raised one hand to her cheek, where she could feel _exactly_ where Lena’s lips had been pressed.

 

            Kara absentmindedly raised her hand to her cheek again as she waited for her laptop to come on and her coffee to finish brewing. She could feel the faint lipstick mark on her right cheek, where it hadn’t been rubbed off as she slept, and she smiled slightly, reaching for the business card which she’d left on the kitchen counter when she’d stumbled in last night, exhausted from the earthquake, running around the city with Lena, on top of a sleepless night the night before last. The sound of her coffee finishing, Kara pulled a mug out of the cupboard and filled it up, taking it over to the bar stool and picking up the business card as she took a sip. Clearly it had been so she could call Lena, but Kara was overcome with nerves at the thought of calling her.

 

            Taking a bigger sip of coffee, and rolling the slightly bitter taste around her tongue, Kara built up enough courage to press dial and hold the phone up to her ear as she listened to it ring. It was soon answered by a brusque voice, which was so familiar to the voice she’d spent hours listening to last night, yet the tone was a lot more professional. _“Luthor Registry,”_ Lena said upon answering, and Kara hesitated for a second.

 

            “Um, hi, Lena, it’s Kara.”

 

 _“Oh! Kara, hello,”_ Lena said, her tone instantly warming, _“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”_

 

            Kara panicked for a second, wondering if she was being too eager, and she let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, well, you know, I was just … making sure you had my number.”

 

            Wincing at the lame excuse, Kara quickly took a sip of coffee before she could say something else stupid, as she mentally kicked herself. If she’d been any more of a babbling idiot last night, she didn’t think she would’ve managed to get Lena’s number, and she didn’t want to blow it now. _“Well I’m glad you called. I thought you might’ve been one of those people who were too afraid to be up front,”_ Lena said, sounding amused, _“I find it … refreshing.”_

 

            “Cool,” Kara said, mentally kicking herself again. _Cool?_ For someone who worked with words, she found them failing her right now. “Um, so anyway, I, uh, don’t want to disturb you, so I’ll leave you to it. You have my number, so just give me a, uh, call whenever you want … you know, if you _want_ to.”

 

            She could hear Lena’s quiet laugh, and she fought back a blush as she closed her eyes and bit her tongue. _“Of course,”_ Lena said, _“bye, Kara.”_

            “Bye,” Kara quickly said, hanging the phone up and slamming it face down on the counter in her effort to get it as far away from her as possible so she could pretend that she hadn’t just sounded as awkwardly desperate as she had. She turned her attention to her laptop and started to bring up a National City news website to see if there was anything for her to do, but it looked like it was a slow news day, and there was nothing for her to do as a reporter _or_ Supergirl. Not even a minute later her phone started ringing, and she picked it up, expecting it to be Alex calling about the earthquake yesterday, but it was a blocked number. With a slight frown, Kara answered it. “Hello?”

 

            There was a quiet laugh on the other end. _“You said to call whenever I want to, right?”_ Lena said, and Kara let out a laugh of delight, her eyes crinkling as she smiled.

 

            “I did,” Kara said, biting her lip as she clicked on a world news site.

 

 _“Good,”_ Lena replied, _“because there’s a grand opening at the new National City Museum of Art tonight, and I would hate for an art lover to miss out on going. Unless you are already going?”_

            Kara smiled, “well, as a reporter I begged to be the one to interview the owner of the new gallery so that I would be able to go, but I would love to go with you instead.”

 

 _“Wait,_ you’re _the CatCo journalist coming to interview me?”_

 

            “Interview _you?”_ Kara asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

 

            There was a hesitant pause on the end of the line before Lena replied. _“I told you I was an art curator, but I’m a collector first of all. The new museum is the latest in my collection of galleries around the country … so yes, me.”_

            “Luthor Registry,” Kara repeated the words Lena had greeted her with. “Your art business?”

 

 _“Yes,”_ Lena admitted, _“it’s why I was in Florence, to buy a new painting for the opening tonight.”_

            “Which one did you settle on?” Kara eagerly asked.

 

            Lena laughed, and she sounded playful as she replied. _“Well, you shall have to see tonight. Should I send a car to pick yo-“_

            “Holy shit!” Kara exclaimed, cutting Lena off mid-sentence.

 

 _“Is everything okay?”_ Lena asked, sounding concerned and slightly amused.

 

            “Sorry,” Kara quickly apologised, feeling herself blush at her outburst, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you, I just- someone _stole_ the Birth of Venus last night.”

 

 _“What?!”_ Lena exclaimed. “ _How on earth could somebody steal it?”_

            Kara’s eyes quickly scanned over the news article, reading the full report out loud as she sat there in shock, hardly daring to believe that someone had actually _stolen_ the painting. She’d been looking at it only yesterday, in awe of the massive canvas painted with exquisite detail, and she couldn’t imagine someone making off with it in the middle of the night without being seen. “It must’ve been an expert,” Kara muttered.

 

            Lena laughed, _“well that painting is_ huge, _I can’t imagine anyone other than an expert thief would be able to make off with it easily.”_

            “Well now I’m looking forward to tonight even more so that I won't feel so upset. I really loved that painting,” Kara sighed.

 

 _“I’ll make it up to you,”_ Lena told her, sounding amused.

 

\---

 

            They had been dating for a year, and it had been the happiest Kara could ever remember feeling. She had been so nervous around Lena at first, wanting to impress her and make her like her, but slowly, she’d become more relaxed around her, finding that Lena found her _funny_ , and she cared about Kara’s opinions on her favourite art pieces, and she was interested in the latest story that Kara was writing. Lena didn’t even falter when Kara revealed that she was Supergirl after they started dating. It didn’t take them long to fall in love.

 

            Countless hours had been spent talking about their favourite paintings and art styles, visiting galleries in dozens of cities, including all of the ones that Lena owned, and sometimes Lena would even bring Kara with her to view paintings in different countries that she was considering buying. The first time Kara had gone to Lena’s home, she’d been blown away by the sheer size of it and the dozens of paintings hanging on the walls that were part of her private collection. They had fascinated Kara, and Lena had loved the look of amazement on Kara’s face whenever she got excited about a piece by an artist she recognised. Lena loved everything about her.

 

            On the night of their first anniversary, Kara dressed in blue, hoping that Lena would like the colour on her, and knowing that she would, and was picked up by Lena’s driver. She had no idea where she was being taken, and she was nervously excited to see Lena, after a day spent thinking of nothing else but her. Kara knew that tonight was a big deal for Lena, having never been in a relationship for this long, and she was determined to shower her with love tonight so that she knew that the past year had meant as much to her as it had to Lena. There was nothing that could tear Kara away from her now, and she was so grateful for the love that Lena had shown her. Kara had been scared at first, dating someone as rich as Lena, worried about what people would say and a small part of her was scared that Lena might think she was after her for her money. It had been hard for her to let Lena spoil her, but she had grown used to the lavish lifestyle that Lena live, and it made Lena happy to share it with her, and Kara would’ve done anything for her as long as she was happy.

 

            As the car made its way through the city, Kara watched the bars and restaurants pass by quickly, giving way to bookstores and laundromats, and then they were on the outskirts of the city, in the industrial area. It wasn’t until they stopped before a chain-link fence, and a security guard unlocked the gate and waved them through, that Kara realised that they were at one of the numerous warehouses that Lena owned. She knew that it was where Lena kept some of the paintings that were yet to be put on display, but she had never been to this specific one. The door was opened for her and she stepped out, a bouquet of roses, peonies and tulips, in shades of reds and pinks, in hand, and a stack of books on art and artists. There was nothing Kara could buy Lena that she didn’t already have, but a thousand times more expensive, and so she bought her books on art, because she knew that Lena loved to read, and she loved art more than anything else. She knew that Lena would appreciate the gifts even if they weren’t expensive.

 

            A small side door to the warehouse was unlocked for her by another security guard, who typed in a code on an electronic keypad and swiped a card, and then she was inside a small antechamber, barely big enough for her and the security guard, and he reached past Kara to enter the code and swipe his card again. It was another few minutes and a couple more doors before Kara was walking into a small closed off room that had been built in the centre of the warehouse. Lena had her back to the door, and turned around with a wide smile on her face as Kara walked in, the security guard closing the door behind her, locking them inside.

 

            “Darling,” Lena said, her tense shoulders dropping slightly as she crossed over to Kara and cupped her face in her hands, giving her a soft kiss. “You’re a vision to look at.”

 

            “Happy anniversary,” Kara said, leaning in to kiss Lena again, making sure not to mess the perfect red lipstick; that could wait until later. “These are for you,” Kara said, raising the bouquet of flowers and giving Lena a wide smile. “And these.”

 

            Lena took the books and quickly skimmed the titles, a bright smile spreading over her face. “Oo Ukiyo-e! I love that art style. This one’s the new Salvador Dali one I wanted!  This impressionism one looks interesting!” Lena commented as she made her way through the stack of books, her smile growing wider as she went. “I love them, thank you!”

 

            She gave Kara another kiss, and took the flowers, commenting on how beautiful they are, before she poured them both a glass of water and stuck the flowers in the water jug. The books were set down beside them on the counter, and then Lena took Kara by the hand and led her over to the table. Pulling out her chair, she helped Kara into it and pushed her in, before taking her seat opposite her.

 

            The counter, the table and chairs, and a large curtain against the wall were the only things in the room, and Kara suspected that whatever was behind the curtain was Lena’s gift to her. Pouring them both a glass of red wine, Lena raised it in a toast to them both and Kara clinked her glass against it, before taking a sip of the rich wine. Pulling the silver lid off the round plate in the middle of the table, Lena presented their first course to Kara with a flourish, taking in the bright smile at the spears of asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon and goat cheese. They talked as they ate, and Lena told Kara about the new painting she was going to Germany to view in a week’s time, and Kara told Lena about the robbery she’d stopped at a bank earlier on as they dug into their main dish of roast quail and spring vegetables. Lena gave her an uneasy smile at that, shifting slightly in her seat, and Kara tilted her head to the side as she listened to Lena’s heart rate flutter.

 

            “Is everything okay?” Kara asked, a small smile on her face as she looked at Lena with slightly raised eyebrows.

 

            Putting her fork down, Lena dabbed at her lips with her napkin, placing it down on the table as she picked up her glass of wine and took a deep drink from her wineglass. “No,” Lena said after a moment, giving Kara a pained smile. “There is something you need to know. Perhaps I should’ve told you sooner, especially because you’ve been honest with me, but I didn’t want you to think that I’m a bad person.”

 

            Kara reached across the table and took Lena’s hand in her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Lena, I love you. Nothing could ever make me think you’re a bad person,” Kara told her, giving her a warm smile, “you’re one of the most selfless and kind people I know. You mean everything to me.”

 

            “Then there’s something I need to show you,” Lena said, pushing her chair back and climbing to her feet, “it’ll make it easier to explain things.” Kara stood up slowly as she watched Lena walk over to the curtain and draw it back, revealing a huge glass cabinet that was completely sealed to protect the painting inside. Eyes wide, Kara stared open-mouthed at the massive painting held inside, walking over to the cabinet and pressing her hand against the glass. The figure of a woman stood inside a clam shell was so familiar to Kara, and the last time she’d seen it she’d been in Florence with Lena … and it had been stolen that night.

 

            She whipped her head around to look at Lena in shock. “Lena, tell me you didn’t.”

 

            With a guilty look on her face, Lena shrugged. “I’m an art thief, Kara.”

 

            “You _what?!”_

 

            Wincing slightly, Lena reached out to take her hands in her own. “I know how that sounds, but please, just hear me out,” Lena begged, and Kara looked at her expectantly, if a little wary. “Okay, so I’m obviously still a collector and a curator – you’ve seen all my galleries and paintings – but I’m also a seller. I, uh, well, I steal paintings, and then I sell them on the black market. I usually have forgeries made to replace them, you know, so I don’t get caught, but, um, well I didn’t this time.”

 

            “How many have you _stolen?”_ Kara asked, looking aghast.

 

            “Ah, well, I don’t think we should get into details.

 

            Kara let out a hysterical laugh of surprise, “Lena!”

 

            “I know it looks bad, and, well, it _is_ bad, but it’s part of my business,” Lena explained, “which sounds like a terrible excuse to be a thief, but it started in college, before I had my business. Do you know how much some of these paintings sell for?”

 

            “I’d say quite a lot if your house and car and your _millions_ of dollar’s worth of paintings is anything to go by.”

 

            “Well, yes,” Lena guiltily said.

 

            “And _how_ much were you planning on selling the Birth of Venus for?”

 

            Lena shrugged, casting the old painting a quick look. She knew more about art than anyone Kara had ever met, and it suddenly made sense as to why she knew more than she should. She knew the history of every painting that Kara had ever viewed with her; where it had been painted, by whom, in what era, with which kind of paint, who had owned it and when. All of her knowledge came from countless research based on what she thought would sell best, and whichever ones she’d been asked to steal specifically.

 

            “It’s priceless,” Lena hedged, and Kara gave her an unimpressed look, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I would say it could sell for at _least_ five hundred million … probably more.”

 

            “Five hunre- Lena! This is one of the most famous paintings in the _world_. I _stop_ thieves on a near daily basis! _Why_ do you even do it? It’s not like you need the money, you have one of- no, probably _the_ most expensive art collection in the whole _world_. You don’t need to steal them!”

 

            “But I did need to once,” Lena told her, “I started in college to pay for my tuition. Can you imagine if I had to swallow my pride and ask my _mother?_ And well, then I stole until I made enough money to buy a few of my own paintings, and _then_ enough to open a gallery, and it kind of just … spiralled.”

 

            Kara let out a choked sound as Lena explained. “Jesus Christ, Lena. What if you get caught?”

 

            She let out a snort of laughter, rolling her eyes at Kara’s concern. “Please, I’m not _that_ stupid. The only time I’ve ever slipped up is when I stole this one, and only then it was because of you.”

 

 _“Me?!”_ Kara exclaimed. “I only met you that afternoon. Oh, you’re dead, Lena Luthor, you told me you had been planning safe routes through Florence when you were planning on stealing a fucking painting!”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            “How are you so calm about this?” Kara shouted, sounding exasperated as she looked at Lena open-mouthed. “They had authorities looking for it for _months_.”

 

            Sighing, Lena rolled her eyes again. “The plan was in motion five years before that night, Kara.”

 

            “Five yea- holy shit,” Kara said, running a hand through her hair. “Why slip up on a painting like this though? You didn’t leave a fake behind like you said you usually do. Five years is plenty of time to have a forgery made.”

 

            With a small smile, Lena tilted her head to the side as she looked at Kara. “I did have one made, for the Primavera, my favourite. I was there to steal that one … and then I met you. I was there to canvas the area one more time, and so were a few other people, making sure we all knew what the plan was, and then I saw you standing there. It must’ve been around noon, and I carried on walking around the gallery, and when I passed you by again, you hadn’t even moved. I’d never seen someone so beautiful, and the way you looked at that painting … it was like you were looking at the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen. You didn’t move for three hours, didn’t so much as turn your eyes away from it for a second, not even when one of the guests tried to take a photo of another painting and kicked up a fuss when a security guard had to escort him out. I knew I had to meet you. And you were even more fascinating when we talked, and that night, when I broke in there … I couldn’t steal the Primavera. I stole the Birth of Venus instead, and I didn’t have a forgery to leave behind, but I had to take it, because I knew I had to see you again, and you loved the painting so much that I thought that I had to have it. You even said that you would like to see someone try and steal it, it was like you were _daring_ me to steal it. I didn’t expect us to end up here today, and I thought that having that painting would be a reminder of that beautiful stranger that took my breath away and ran wild with me through a foreign city on a whim. I know I shouldn’t have done any of it, and I should’ve told you this sooner, especially when you trusted me with a _much_ bigger secret, but I was afraid that you would leave.”

 

            Letting out a groan, Kara took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose. “God, Lena, I love you. Nothing’s going to change that … not even being a bigger art thief than whoever robbed the Gardner. Just … put it back.”

 

            “Put it _back?!”_ Lena exclaimed, her mouth falling open in shock. “Kara, this painting is taller than I am! And _nine_ feet wide! How the fuck am I supposed to just _put it back?”_

 

            “Well how did you get it out in the first place?” Kara asked.

 

            Shrugging again, Lena gave her a small smile. “I had people who work for me infiltrate the security and maintenance departments of the gallery, and then I got a hacker under my employment to hack the cameras and loop footage of the security guards doing their normal rounds, as well as all the cameras within a mile of the gallery. A team of six of us were inside, and we snuck snuck the painting out and into a waiting unmarked van. We drove it to a small airstrip on the outskirts of Tuscany and onto my private plane. Then I had it brought here and kept in containment so that nothing would happen to it. That’s why there’s so much security around … not that anyone suspects.”

 

            “Well then do that in reverse!” Kara snapped, and Lena spluttered at the request. “It’s the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen, and it deserves to be shared with the world, not hidden here where no one can appreciate how beautiful it is!”

 

            “It’s not that easy, Kara!” Lena argued, “besides, it’s your anniversary gift.”

 

            She closed her eyes and forced her self to breathe slowly. “A five hundred- _million-_ dollar painting is _not_ an anniversary gift, Lena,” Kara said, her voice tense as she spoke.

 

            With a relenting sigh, Lena stepped closer to Kara, cupping her cheeks in her hand. “ _Fine_ , I shall return it, but if I am caught out and sent to prison, I hope you will still come and visit me. Or better yet, you could give me a helping hand and fly the painting in while I distract the guards with my charming smile and bat my eyelashes. You’re strong enough to lift it.”

 

            “Nuh uh,” Kara protested, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Lena a look of disapproval, “I’ll have no part in your _illegal_ extracurricular activities. You will do this by yourself, Lena Luthor, or so help me god, I’ll- I’ll … well I can’t think right now, but I’ll do _something_.”

 

            “Mm, well now I’m intrigued,” Lena said, a flirty smile playing on her lips. “I’m almost tempted to keep my priceless painting to see what you’ll do … two birds for one stone.”

 

            “Lena!”

 

            She gave Kara an exasperated sigh. “Alright, alright. I’ll put it back,” Lena grumbled. Kara pulled her close by the lapels of her suit jacket, giving her a brief kiss, before pulling back and brushing a lock of hair out of Lena’s face.

 

            “Now, can we get back to our meal?” Kara asked, a small smile curling the corners of her lips.  Lena gave her a grim smile, reaching out to grab the curtain and drag it back across the room, but Kara reached out and stopped her. “I mean, you can’t take it back _right_ now, and it’d be a shame to not appreciate the art while it’s here,” Kara reasoned, and Lena cocked an eyebrow as she smirked.

 

            They both sat themselves back down at the table, and dug back into the food, which had started to cool as they’d bickered over the giant painting. “Well, I guess this means I need to get you a new anniversary present,” Lena said with a sigh.

 

            “Might I suggest something cheaper?”

 

            “I do have a Monet. His Haystack painting. That one’s only around eighty million; is that more suitable for you?”

 

            “Haysta- that turned out to be a forgery in two thousand and eleven at that Knoedler gallery! That was _you?_ That _poor_ woman who thought she bought it! Oh my God. How many have you stolen?!”

 

            Lena pressed her lips together, trying to stop herself from smiling. “I think that what matters most right now is that I’m returning this beautiful painting, and I think that should grant me some leniency for the time being. Your gift though; how about a, uh … fuck, this is hard. I just assumed I’d always give you a painting and be super romantic. What about van Gogh’s Irises painting? Like the colour of your eyes. Don’t worry, I paid for that one legally … well, I mean, I _did_ use money made from stealing art, but I didn’t actually _physically_  steal this one.”

 

            “I’m repressing this entire dinner so I can pass a polygraph test if I’m ever questioned about this,” Kara groaned, picking up her wine and raising it to Lena. “Happy anniversary, my dear.” She drained the whole thing and refilled her glass all the way up to the brim.

 

\---

 

            It was a few months later when Lena’s plan to return the Birth of Venus was set into motion. She’d scrambled to correct her mistake as quickly as possible, as promised, and had got her usual team on board with the plan. None of them questioned the reverse heist, even though she knew they must’ve thought her insane to even try it, and for a hefty price, they were all in. Lena normally planned years in advance when it was a painting of such high calibre, with people on the inside, and an exit route out of the building with the stolen artwork. This time she had only one man inside, and needed to get the painting _in._

 

            They were in the back of a huge truck, wearing all black with their faces hidden beneath balaclavas and tinted goggles, with gloves covering their fingertips so they didn’t leave any fingerprints behind. Kara had accompanied her to Florence, staying behind at the expensive hotel room that Lena had booked for them as she left Lena to carry out her plan without her help, even though Lena knew she would be listening in in case she got into trouble. Kara might’ve been pissed off at her stealing the painting, but she didn’t want Lena to go to jail for it.

 

            The truck came to a halt, and one of the men climbed to their feet and opened the back door. It was immediately shut behind him, and everyone sat in the dark, patiently waiting for him to come back and announce that the coast was clear. It was a few minutes of tense silence before the back door was rolled up and Lena was informed that all of the security guards had been knocked out and the hacker sat in the back confirmed that all alarms were disabled and the cameras were looping the same blank footage. With a command from Lena, all five of the muscle carefully lifted the painting and slowly took it out of the truck. Running ahead of them, Lena felt her heart pounding as it always did when the adrenaline kicked in on a heist, and she held the door open as the inside man held open the other one.

 

            It was a struggle getting the huge canvas inside, but eventually they managed it, and breathing heavily and shuffling with the awkward size and weight of the painting, the five men carried the painting inside. Walking ahead again, Lena looked at the place the painting had previously occupied, now taken up by a new painting, and turned to watch as the Birth of Venus was carefully leant against the handrail. Making sure everything was in order, Lena told everyone to leave, and they all rushed outside as quickly as possible, before any of the security guards regained consciousness and raised the alarm. Soon enough, Lena was back in her hotel room with Kara, smiling smugly at the success of her reverse heist.

 

\---

 

            The next morning, they were sat outside Caffè Giubbe Rosse, drinking machiatto’s and eating warm crostata’s with a sour cherry jam as they sat outside in the warm Tuscan air. Lena was reading the newspaper in the shade, while Kara soaked up the sunlight as she watched people walk around the busy plaza. “Huh, would you look at that,” Lena said, sounding mildly surprised, “someone broke in and _returned_ the Birth of Venus painting last night. You remember that painting, don’t you darling? Didn’t you say that it was your favourite when we were here two years ago?”

 

            “Returning a stolen painting? How would someone ever manage to do that?” Kara dryly asked, her lips quirking up into a half smile. “Especially with a painting _that_ big.”

 

            “They must be an expert,” Lena said, biting her lip as she kept her eyes on the newspaper. “They must’ve felt bad though; they left a note.”

 

            “Oh really? What did it say?”

 

            “Sorry.”


	2. the Mona Lisa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to GayLittleLuthor for the idea for a part 2

_Fuck_.

 

            Lena’s eyes widened as she looked at the top story on one of the art sites she was browsing over breakfast. Kara was opposite her, reading the newspaper and sipping her coffee, oblivious to Lena’s jealous irritation as she read over the story. A new painting had been bought by the Louvre - the most expensive painting in the _world_ \- and Lena was furiously frustrated. The Louvre Museum _already_ had the Mona Lisa, which was arguably the most _famous_ painting in the world, and now that had bought de Koonig’s Interchange, which Lena had last heard had sold for three-hundred-million dollars.

 

            Without a doubt, the Louvre Museum was the most popular museum in the world, and boasted one of the best art collections. Millions flocked there every year to see the paintings, and Lena couldn’t compete with the likes of the Mona Lisa. If she had been allowed to exhibit her stolen pieces, she was sure she would’ve been more than a match for the Louvre, but that would involve a lot of awkward questions and an inevitable jail sentence for theft and breaking and entering, as well as a dozen more broken laws. Lena’s exhibits in her galleries boasted a vast array of expensive paintings, and her secret collection even more so, but still, the buying of Interchange would mean that her collection wasn’t the most valuable one in the world. With her stolen paintings, her collection _had_ been the most expensive, even though no one knew it, all due to her black market stolen art ring that she had running, but with a painting _that_ expensive, on top of the other priceless pieces of art, Lena wouldn’t be at the top of the list anymore.

 

            There was only one thing she could do … she had to steal the Mona Lisa.

 

            Glancing up at Kara, Lena reached out for her coffee and took a sip, eyeing her girlfriend warily. She had been surprised by Kara and her willingness to accept Lena and all her flaws, even though she worked with the law and strictly followed the laws. She wouldn’t even _jaywalk._ She had asked Lena to stop stealing paintings, and Lena had agreed, surprised that Kara hadn’t asked her to put back _all_ the paintings she’d stolen and not managed to sell yet, and had seen it as a good compromise. Kara had also told her not to tell her if she _did_ end up stealing more paintings though, so that she could pretend that her girlfriend wasn’t an international art thief. Not that it made a difference though, because Kara loved Lena, and Lena knew that. She had stayed true to her promise so far though, but now, she _had_ to break it. It was a matter of pride, and if there was one thing that Lena had learnt from her mother, it was that pride was everything.

 

            “The Louvre bought de Koonig’s Interchange painting,” Lena said after a moment, taking another sip of her coffee while she tried to retain her composure.

 

            “Ah, so that’s why your heart just skipped a beat,” Kara laughed, setting her newspaper down and giving Lena an amused look.

 

            Lena gave her an exasperated look, and Kara smiled brightly at her. “Perhaps we could go to Paris soon and visit the exhibit,” Lena suggested as her mind ran over the possibilities of breaking into the Louvre and stealing the painting. She had considered doing it a few years ago, and had had a forgery of the Mona Lisa made in anticipation of stealing it, but had never actually gotten around to doing it. All of the blueprints and reconnaissance intelligence was in storage in one of her warehouses, and it wouldn’t be too hard to have a team infiltrate the museum.

 

            “ _Please_ tell me that you are not planning on stealing this painting,” Kara groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as she put her head in her hand.

 

            Scoffing, Lena scowled at her, sounding almost insulted as she replied, “no, of _course_ not.” It wasn’t _technically_ a lie; she was going to steal the Mona Lisa instead, and she thought it would be best to keep Kara in the dark about that part of the trip.

 

            Looking almost suspicious, but trusting the fact that Lena had never outright lied to her face before, Kara gave her a warm smile. “Then I’d love to go to Paris. I heard that my cousin’s friend is a curator at the Louvre now too! I think she’s in a different department though; antiquities I think.”

 

            “Well we can visit the other exhibits too,” Lena assured her, a satisfied smile spreading across her face as her plan was put into motion. “I know last time we only went to through the galleries, but we can take a longer trip this time. Maybe a week, if you can get time off work.”

 

            Buzzing with excitement, Kara got up from the table, and walked around to give Lena a quick kiss as she carried her empty plate to the kitchen and drained the rest of her coffee. “Sounds _perfect_ ,” Kara enthusiastically agreed.

 

            “I’ll make the arrangements,” Lena told her, a double meaning behind her words. Kara gave her another smile walking back past Lena, who reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt, giving her a playful smile. “Give me another kiss,” she said, tilting her head up expectantly, and Kara smiled, obligingly giving her another quick kiss.

 

            “I love you, Robin Hood”

 

            Letting out an exasperated sigh, Lena grimaced up at her. “How many times do I have to tell you that Robin Hood didn’t steal paintings?”

 

            Laughing, Kara wrinkled her nose at Lena, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. “I know, but you _do_ give to a lot of charities, so I think it’s still pretty fitting.”

 

            Shaking her head, but looking amused, Lena drained her coffee and climbed to her her feet. “I love you too,” she said, giving Kara a quick kiss, before making her way to the bathroom to shower.

 

            She had a plan to make.

 

\---

 

            They were sat at a table for two at Le Meurice, the extravagantly lavish hotel that Lena had booked for them to stay at. Outside on the balcony, they had a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower, lit up and sparkling in the night, and Kara smiled lovingly at Lena as she raised her glass. “Happy anniversary,” she said, and Lena arched an eyebrow at her.

 

            “You know that it isn’t until tomorrow, right?”

 

            “I know, but I’m impatient,” Kara said with a shrug, clinking her glass of wine against Lena’s as she raised her own. “Besides, it’s only a few hours until midnight.”

 

            Lena laughed, taking a sip of the rich red, before cutting into her steak and taking a bite. “Then happy anniversary, darling.”

 

            They finished their meal, which had small portions, which meant that Lena ordered every item on the room service menu for Kara, and they both retired to their room with a bottle of wine. For the rest of the night, they lounged around the room, taking a relaxing bubble bath together, and watching the TV in bed while they picked at the food. Eventually, Kara fell asleep in Lena’s arms, and Lena lay there in the dark until the clock beside the bed ticked over to three o’clock in the morning.

 

            At that point, she quietly snuck out of bed, leaving Kara fast asleep, and she carefully changed into the plain black clothes she wore to steal. Throwing a red coat over the top of her outfit, and throwing the balaclava into her handbag, Lena let herself out of the room, making sure to bring a key card before she left, otherwise that would lead to some awkward questions off Kara when she returned and couldn’t get back into their room.

 

            Sneaking out to the street below, Lena hailed a cab and had the driver take her to the rendezvous point a few miles away, where she slipped off her coat and stuffed it inside the bag, before hopping into the back of the waiting van. Pulling the balaclava over her head, she slipped on a pair of leather gloves, and ordered a report off all of her men.

 

            Everything was going according to plan.

 

            They made good time to the Louvre, parking around the back of the building, unnoticed as the cameras looped footage of the normal Parisian street that they’d recorded over the past few weeks. The planning for this heist had been hasty, yet well thought out, and they knew that it would be difficult to get inside unseen. Luckily, Lena had inside men in all of the prominent galleries and museums in the world, so she already knew guard numbers and duties, security details, and all the camera blindspots. The hardest part would be getting in and out of the building with the painting.

 

            The building was protected with lasers, alarms and bulletproof glass, which made for a difficult entry, and even _then_ , the Mona Lisa was _behind_ even more bulletproof glass. Lena relished the challenge though, and knew that she could do it, but still, as she perched on top of one of the glass panes in the roof of the paintings wing of the sprawling building, the adrenaline pumping and her heart pounding as she watched one of her men carefully pry at the moulding of the metal frame, and gently remove the glass, setting it off to one side. A long rope was lowered down into the building, and one of the burlier men went down first to ensure that there were no security guards in this wing that were still left conscious by her inside men.

 

            Next, Lena lowered herself down, the special case designed to preserve the painting strapped onto her back. She kept a tight grip on the rope as she carefully half-slid and half-climbed down, and quickly found herself on the marble floor inside the Louvre. The rest of her team were quick to follow, with one of them holding the replacement pane of bulletproof glass, another the forgery of the Mona Lisa, and another with a large piece of canvas and some tools. All ready to complete the job, they snuck through the building, their torches cutting beams of light through the dark, with Lena leading the way. She had lost count of the number of times she’d come to the Louvre, and she knew _exactly_ where the Mona Lisa was kept.

 

            They came upon the painting, and a slow smile spread across Lena’s face as she took in the sight of it. It would make a beautiful addition to her collection, made all the sweeter by knowing that the value of the Louvre’s collection would be diminished without them even knowing; the forgery was a good one. With a silent gesture, Lena had her man lay out the canvas beneath the bulletproof glass, and pull out a hammer tipped with ceramic from a spark plug to break through the glass. It took a few minutes of hammering blows that shook the glass, but soon the spider web cracks spread out and a piercing sound of glass shattering broke the silence of the museum. The shards fell to the ground, landing on the canvas, and Lena unstrapped the case from her back and walked over to the painting. It was alarmed, and she listened for confirmation from the tiny earpiece that the alarm was disarmed, before she popped open the clasps, took down the painting and set it inside the case. Locking it safely inside, Lena allowed herself a small triumphant smile, looking smug at the prospect of being the new owner of the most famous painting in the world.

 

            With a nod towards the man holding the forgery, she watched as he set it in the place where the original had just sat, and then the man with the new pane of bulletproof glass walked forward, waiting for the broken shards to be pulled out of the frame, and the frame to be removed, before setting the new pane in and sealing it in place.

 

            They worked quickly and quietly, rolling up the canvas with the glass shards inside, stowing away tools and double-checking with the getaway driver outside, as well as the other eyes and ears around the place. Everything had gone off without a hitch, and it had all happened in less than an hour. Hurrying back through the museum and over to the rope where they had come in, Lena froze as she took in the sight of the tall woman in Greek armour standing at the end of the hallway.

 

            “Oh _fuck.”_

 

            “Drop the case, now,” the woman said, hefting her shield and staring down Lena. Almost as a reflex, Lena dropped the case to the floor, holding her hands up slowly in surrender. The woman before her lowered the tip of her sword to the floor, and let her shield arm drop slightly. Lena knew who this woman was – everyone in the _world_ knew who she was – and with a groan, she recalled Kara saying that her cousin’s friend worked at the Louvre. Never in a million years would Lena have thought she was talking about _Wonder Woman,_ and she silently cursed Kara’s oversight on that part, because this was definitely something Lena _hadn’t_ planned for, and knew that no plan in the world could have accounted for this.

 

            Things were about to turn to shit _very_ quickly.

 

            Trying to think how she could get herself out of this, Lena’s mind ran over every possibility, and knew that she had fucked up big time. This woman could shatter every bone in her arm just by poking her, and Lena felt her heart leap into her throat … but she had come too far to give up now. Either she willingly gave herself up and got sent to prison for a _very_ long time, or she could at least try and fight her way out of this. At the slight turn of her head to the side, the sound of half a dozen guns being pulled out of hidden holsters, and bullets entering chambers with audible clicks, reached Lena’s ears. Taking a slow step forward, so she stood in front of the case, she locked eyes with the woman, who was smiling slightly, looking amused at the fact that they thought they could fight her. Everyone stood at a standstill for a moment, and then Lena shouted.

 

            “Go!”

 

            With a sudden movement, she kicked the case backwards, sending it spinning over the smooth marble floor, and fell flat to the floor as the sounds of guns firing reached her ears. One of the men dropped scrambled for the case and ran for the rope, hauling himself up hand over hand while the rest of Lena’s men distracted Wonder Woman. It took all of two minutes for her to catch all the bullets and have all of Lena's men disarmed, and she was staring up through the glass ceiling as Lena’s escape man made it through the missing pane and ran across the roof with the case in tow, ready to spirit it away. The woman’s face was set in a determined frown, and as she took a step towards the rope, Lena shifted, catching her attention.

 

            Dark eyes shot to her, and the woman turned aside, walking over to Lena and pinning her to the ground with a booted foot on her chest. “Who are you?” she furiously asked, and Lena stared at the golden lasso that she unfurled and whipped down to curl around Lena’s wrist, glowing and making Lena feel like she was on fire as she had the urge to spill every secret to this woman.

 

            “Stop!”

 

            Both women froze and looked up to see Kara floating down through the hole in the ceiling, her red cape streaming out behind her and her golden curls rustling slightly in the breeze filtering down through the missing window pane. Lena swallowed the lump in her throat as she took in the sight of her _very_ pissed off looking girlfriend, wincing slightly at the thought of how angry Kara would be later on.

 

            “Supergirl.”

 

            “Wonder Woman.”

 

            “You are interfering in justice,” Wonder Woman said, and Kara made a disgruntled noise at the back of her throat as she touched down on the ground.

 

            With a sharp look at Lena, Kara turned her gaze back upwards. “I will see that the painting is returned, and I will take care of the rest of the issue.”

 

            The booted foot remained firmly placed on Lena’s chest, holding her in place, and the lasso was still tightly wound around her wrist, although it had stopped glowing for the time being. “This is my domain, and my place of work, as I am sure your cousin has told you. _I_ will see to it.”

 

            A look of pain shot across Kara’s face and she let out a frustrated sigh. “I know that you are just trying to make this world safe, and I try and do that too, but this time … please, let me handle it. You have my word that you shall have the painting returned, and I will clean this place up myself so that no one will even know that anything happened.”

 

            “And why would I do that?”

 

            “Have you never thought that humans deserved a second chance? Even when they mess up?”

 

            Lena saw the hesitation of the woman’s face at Kara’s words, and at the flick of her wrist, the lasso freed Lena’s wrist and the foot was removed. With a nod to Kara, and a hard look at Lena’s eyes, peeking out from the holes in her balaclava, Wonder Woman turned around and walked off through the building, leaving her alone with Kara.

 

            Scrambling to her feet, Lena took a step towards Kara, freezing at the angry stare she received. “Kara-“

 

            “ _Really,_ Lena,” she snapped, “on our _anniversary?_ Is this going to be a theme?”

 

            “I _clearly_ didn’t mean for you to find out,” Lena defensively said.

 

            Kara’s scowl deepened and she crossed her arms over her chest. “That _doesn’t_ make it any better! You promised me you wouldn’t steal it! Is your pride worth so much that you would risk being _imprisoned_ all so that you could have a stupid de Koonig painting? And _guns,_ Lena. Really? _Guns?_ ”

 

            Lena awkwardly shrugged, ducking her head as a sheepish look crossed her face. “I, uh, well, I didn’t _intend_ to use the guns – ever – and I didn’t know that fucking _Wonder Woman_ would be here to stop me! And I, ah, I didn’t come to steal Interchange. I … I came to steal the Mona Lisa.”

 

            “The _Mona Lisa?!”_ Kara shouted as she spluttered, her voice echoing slightly around the room, and the sounds of Lena’s men stirring caught their attention. “You are _unbelievable!”_

 

            “Well I didn’t lie!” Lena argued, huffing in frustration.

 

            “Where is it?” Kara asked, letting out an exasperated sigh.

 

            Lena pressed her lips together in a thin line, closing her eyes and letting out a small sigh. “One of my men snuck out with the case, during the distraction with the ... guns. It’s probably on its way to my plane … it’ll be on its way to Germany soon.”

 

            “Clean up here,” Kara stiffly told her, before turning around with the swish of her cape and standing beneath the hole in the ceiling.

 

            “Well where are _you_ going?”

 

            “To get the painting _back_ , before I end up becoming a criminal too,” Kara snapped, shooting up and out into the dark night, leaving Lena and her semi-conscious crew all stood around in the dark.

 

\---

 

            Kara flew over Paris, trying to track down Lena’s van making off with the painting. Despite being the early hours of the morning, the traffic in the city was heavy, and there were too many cars for Kara to scan, and the sound of the busy city was overwhelming to her sensitive ears, and she couldn’t even hone in on any of the conversations happening below. Realising it was hopeless, Kara set off towards the nearest airstrip instead, hoping to cut off the van before the painting for put onto the plane.

 

            It took her half a dozen tries to find the right plane, and it was already in the air when she _did_ find it. With a sigh, Kara put on a burst of speed and shot forwards. Drawing up level with the plane, she all but tore the door off its hinges as she opened it, and the pilot and guard both stared at her in shock as she gave them a look of irritation.

 

            “Just give me the painting,” Kara sighed, and the guard pointed a gun at her. With another sigh, Kara reached into the plane, grabbing the gun and crumpling it like it was a piece of paper, tossing it over her shoulder and letting it fall down to the ground far below. Grabbing the handle of the case, she pulled it out of the plane and the shot back out of it, her cape streaming out behind her as she shot back down towards the Louvre.

 

            Dawn wasn’t too far off as she landed back inside the building, tossing the case to Lena and giving her a hard look before shooting back off. She quickly redressed in the clothes she had left strewn in an alleyway, donning her glasses and lingering near the museum until she was sure that Lena made it out safely. The darkness was turning to a slightly lighter shade when Kara used her x-ray vision to watch a small figure climb a rope and come out on the roof, soon followed by the rest of her crew. As quickly as possible, the glass pane was replaced, and they all scaled the side of the building, dropping down onto the ground and sprinting off to the backup van a few blocks away, having lost their first getaway vehicle.

 

            As soon as Kara was sure that Lena was safely away from the vicinity of the museum, she let out a relieved sigh and caught a cab back to the hotel. The sun was peeking over the horizon when she made her way into their room, shedding her coat, and then the rest of her clothes as she stared at Lena, who was sat on the end of the bed, still dressed in her burglary clothes and clutching her balaclava in her hands.

 

            “Okay so I know-“

 

            “You made me an accomplice, Lena!”

 

            Screwing her eyes shut as she grimaced, Lena let out a heavy sigh. She opened her eyes again, staring at Kara, who was stood in her Supergirl costume, looking disappointed, and ran her fingers through her hair. “I didn’t mean for you to get involved.”

 

            “But I did! I went against what I believe in, all because I love you!” Kara exclaimed, “what if you’d been caught, hm? What if I hadn’t been able to get the painting back in time, and I’d _literally_ helped you commit a robbery?”

 

            Lena scoffed, “well I would’ve had the painting in my possession either way, so I could’ve easily put it back.”

 

            Kara narrowed her eyes slightly, “ _easily?_ You made such a big deal about putting _back_ the Birth of Venus when I asked you to.”

 

            “That's because it was fucking bigger than I am! But I still did it anyway!” Lena argued, “I did it for you, didn’t I? And you rescued me for me. We've _both_ done things we never would've for each other.”

 

            “Oh God, this is so messed up,” Kara groaned, “why oh _why_ did I have to fall in love with an _art thief?”_

            “Is it really _that_ bad?” Lena snorted, giving Kara an amused smile.

 

            Crossing her arms over her chest, Kara gave Lena an unimpressed look. With a slightly hysterical laugh, Lena climbed to her feet and walked over to Kara, cupping her face in her hands and leaning up to give her a firm kiss, and then another one, before she pulled back. Kara’s resolve wavered slightly as she melted at Lena’s touch, but then she pouted as a slight frown graced her face, and reached up to brush Lena’s hair out of her face. “ _Stop fucking stealing paintings!”_

 

\---

 

            Late in the afternoon, Kara and Lena were staring at the framed painting behind bulletproof glass, one looking satisfied, while the other was looking disgruntled. Kara leaned in close to Lena, twining their fingers together as she whispered in her ear, “a beautiful painting, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

            “Good enough to steal,” Lena sarcastically replied, losing some of her bite when Kara let out a snort of laughter. Shoulders sagging slightly, Lena turned and grimaced at Kara, looking slightly worried. “I’m sorry.”

 

            “I know you are,” Kara softly said, giving her hand a quick squeeze, “just … don’t worry me like that again, okay?”

 

            “Okay,” Lena mumbled, turning to look back at the Mona Lisa. A playful smile played on her lips as she looked back at Kara. “Does this mean I should stop trying to gift you stolen paintings?”

 

            Kara clapped a hand to her mouth to muffle another snort of laughter, giving Lena a stern look. “You should stop stealing paintings full stop.”

 

            Lena wrinkled her nose, “that sounds utterly boring. What’s life without a little risk, right?”

 

            “Is dating an alien not a big enough risk?” Kara whispered in her ear, and Lena smiled.

 

            “Not as risky as a fucking _Amazonian_ woman catching you breaking and entering the most famous museum in the world, and making off with the most famous _painting_ in the world,” Lena grumbled.

 

            “Well sorry to bore you, Peruggia.”

 

            “Peruggia?” Lena snorted, laughing at the nickname. He was a famous thief who had also stolen the Mona Lisa, and had been caught a few years later, and Lena couldn’t help but think it was a more fitting nickname than Robin Hood, but her own heist attempt hadn’t been quite as successful. Letting out another quick laugh, Lena raised her eyebrows at Kara, who flashed her a wide smile. Nothing could ever be boring where the two of them were concerned, and they both stood there laughing as they looked back at the painting. Art heists might’ve been a sensitive topic for them both, but they both loved each other regardless, and Kara would never let anything bad happen to Lena, even if she had to let her go free when she stole a painting. She had helped correct the theft anyway, and Diana had been surprisingly gracious about the whole thing when Kara had revisited her and told her that the painting had been replaced.

 

            “Our new friend told me to thank you do the note you wrote,” Kara told Lena, a curious look on her face. “What did it say?”

 

            “Sorry.”


	3. The Most Priceless of Them All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> getting the jump on Valentine’s Day I guess lol

She had almost been done for the night, _almost_ , but then she’d got back to the apartment she shared with Lena, changing out of her costume and into a comfy pair of pyjamas, and had been wrapping Lena’s anniversary presents when the sound of the front door opening reached her ears. Lena wasn’t home yet, and Kara smiled at the sound of footprints, hastily packing away all the gifts before the surprise was ruined, until she realised that there was more than one set of footsteps.

 

Taking a tentative step towards the bedroom door, she honed in her hearing, making out half a dozen unfamiliar heartbeats and footsteps. It wasn’t Lena. Wondering if she should change into her suit or not - she didn’t want to give away the fact that Supergirl was living with Lena Luthor, especially when it was known that Kara was dating her - she decided against it and pulled the door open a crack. Sneaking down the hallway, Kara took in the half a dozen men and women all dressed in black, standing in the open space of the kitchen and living room. Their faces were covered, and they were all holding rifles in their hands, none of which they pointed at her as they all turned their attention to her, which was surprising.

 

Slowly holding her hands up in surrender, Kara couldn’t help but wonder how six people had gotten past a dozen security guards without a single shot ringing out. Surely Kara would’ve heard it if they’d been firing guns. “What do you want?” she slowly asked them, knowing that they were probably here for the million dollar paintings, or the other antiquities that decorated the lavish apartment.

 

“Miss Danvers,” one of them gruffly replied, “we have Miss Luthor in our possession. Come with us and she won’t get hurt.”

 

Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat - for Lena, not herself - Kara slowly nodded, knowing that she’d have to go willingly for now, before they hurt Lena. One of the thugs stepped forward, and Kara let them place a flimsy pair of handcuffs around her wrists, as well as a black bag over her head, plunging her into darkness. Then she was being prodded and poked into motion, stumbling slightly, until one of them grabbed her by the arm and began hastily towing her along.

 

They came outside to the warmth of a summer night, the crickets singing in the plants, and the sound of cars passing in the distance. Kara blindly followed along with her captors, listening to the sounds of a van door being slid open, before she was surprisingly carefully helped inside and lowered onto a bench that lined one wall. Listening to the clinking and shuffling sounds as everyone else climbed in, Kara wondered where they could be going, wondering if Lena was okay. The engine rattled to life, and a few moments later, they were driving off down the road, and Kara was alert as she memories the turns; left, then right, straight through the lights and then left again. And with each turn, she felt herself becoming more antsy, bouncing one leg up and down in her impatience.

 

“How long until we get there?” Kara asked after a few minutes of tense silence, where she pretended she hadn’t just been kidnapped, and couldn’t escape if she wanted to, and everyone else assumed that she was a helpless human, afraid of their guns.

 

“Why? You got places to be?” a woman laughed, followed by a few more muffled laughs.

 

Kara sighed, shrugging slightly, “I just want to know why I’m here. It’s not like I have anything to give you.”

 

“We’re just obeying orders from the boss,” a man replied, and Kara sighed again, falling silent as she tried to guess who their boss was. Lena had dozens of enemies, most of them rival art curators and collectors, but Kara had never thought any of them possible of kidnaping and possibly blackmailing if this went where she thought it was going to go. She ran over the idea of it being a mob boss, or some other shady organisation, because everyone knew how much Lena owned in paintings, and that was without the added hundreds of millions worth of stolen paintings that she couldn’t say she owned, unless she wanted to go to prison. She was an easy target for anyone looking to make some money from a large ransom, and Kara felt her frustration growing at not knowing what she was walking into.

 

It was almost half an hour later when they finally stopped, and Kara listened to the sound of a chain link gate rattling open and the crunching of gravel as the van slowed to a stop. Focusing her hearing, Kara picked up on the sound of a familiar heartbeat, beating a bit faster than usual, but otherwise just as strong, and she felt a wave of relief was over her. A warm breeze flooded into the van as the door was yanked open, and Kara eagerly climbed to her feet, anxious about seeing Lena, and some of the guards let out snorts of laughter, commenting on how they’d never seen someone so eager to be kidnapped.

 

They herded her towards a door, and Kara listened to the audible click of it unlocking, followed by a few more doors, each one pressurised, until she felt the cool temperature of the room she was in, itching to snap her handcuffs so she could take off the bag and see where she was. She almost did it when she heard the sound of the familiar heartbeat a dozen feet away, getting closer as they walked her forwards. And then they all abruptly left, backtracking towards the door they’d come in through, leaving Kara alone with Lena, who hadn’t said a word yet.

 

“Lena?” Kara softly whispered, waiting for the sound of her girlfriend’s voice to answer her. It didn’t come though, and Kara panicked slightly. Not caring who saw her - if anyone was indeed watching - Kara pulled her hands apart, snapping the cuffs with a quick tug, and yanked the bag off her head, coming to a stop when she saw Lena staring at her with an amused look on her face.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Kara exclaimed, taking in the perfectly tailored grey suit and expensive heels, her unruffled dark hair and pristine makeup, while Lena pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at Kara’s flowery pyjamas and messy hair.

 

Lena’s smiled grew slightly, and she reached out with one hand, taking Kara’s in her own, before gesturing around the room, holding container after container, each one sealed and monitored with a painting inside. “This warehouse probably holds my most expensive pieces that I’ve ever stolen. There are paintings here worth hundreds of millions, if I had to price them, and I know you don’t want me to tell you that, but it’s true, and there’s so many of them in here. I’m an art thief, Kara, and I’ve stolen so many priceless paintings … but without a doubt, you’re the most priceless thing in this room right now. Stealing your heart has been the greatest heist of them all.”

 

“Wha-“

 

Reaching out the cover Kara’s mouth with her hand, Lena gave her a wry smile, her eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. “Let me finish. I’ve planned many, many heists, so believe me, I know the rush of making off with a painting worth a fortune, with no one the wiser, but I’d never known the rush of kissing someone you love, or travelling the world with them, sharing the artwork. Not until I met you. Everything in this warehouse … it means nothing to me when you’re standing here, because you’re the most precious of them all. I love you, Kara.” And then Lena sank down onto one knee, producing a small velvet box and opening it up to reveal a beautiful diamond ring nestled in the middle. “Will you marry me?”

 

Feeling the air rush out of her lungs, Kara stared at her in surprise, feeling the warmth of Lena’s hand still in hers, and seeing the adoration in those green eyes that she loved so much. She could hardly process what was happening, because her night had taken a sharp turn in a direction she hadn’t imagined. “Did you have your security kidnap me and bring me all the way out here just so you could propose?”

 

“Perhaps,” Lena said, shrugging slightly as her lips twitched into a small smile.

 

“Lena Luthor! You had me worried sick! I thought someone had taken you. I thought you were being held ransom by a mob boss! I thought I was going to have to fight my way out of here against a hundred Italian men shooting at me!” Kara exclaimed, feeling more relieved than she had thought she would be, which was mostly due to the fact that Lena was proposing, and Kara felt all warm inside.

 

Clearing her throat slightly, Lena raised the box with the ring, “so was that a yes?”

 

“Yes?” Kara spluttered, a hysterical laugh falling from her lips. And then her face softened, and her eyes welled up with tears as she looked down at Lena, who had an eyebrow sarcastically cocked and was giving her that crooked smile she loved so much. “Of _course_ I’ll marry you, you dramatic ass!”

 

Letting out a tearful laugh, Lena plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto Kara’s ring finger, admiring the sight with a smug smile on her face, and then Kara was pulling her to her feet and placing a rough kiss on her lips, holding her close as she felt her heart flutter in her chest.

 

Pulling back, Lena gave her a mischievous smile, reaching into her pocket for something. “Oh yeah, the thief … they wrote you a note,” she breathlessly told Kara, holding out a scrap of paper.

 

Snorting with laughter, Kara reached out to take, giving Lena an amused look. “Oh yeah? Does it say sorry again?”

 

Opening the scrap of paper, Kara let out a loud laugh as she stared down at the words scrawled in Lena’s elegant script.

 

_Sorry not sorry._


End file.
